PANJIM: While Goa prides itself on being a frontrunner in adopting the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the transition from paper to classroom is being met with criticism. Teachers, parents, and educationists are warning that the State is “rushed and unprepared,” citing a lack of permanent faculty at SCERT, a confusing new academic calendar, and a “hidden agenda” of privatisation that could leave local schools struggling for enrollment.
Former Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) chairman Pandurang Nadkarni said, “There are no major changes because the NEP itself mandates the continuation of previous policies and efforts of the previous government. Congress has also not opposed it, except for certain aspects. There is opposition to the privatisation of education, although it is not mentioned in NEP but the hidden agenda is privatisation.”
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“Two private universities have been established in Goa, and a third may open anytime since land has been allotted to it. With three private universities in Goa when the annual birth rate in the State is not more than 25,000 children per year, from where will they enroll the students? Even colleges will face enrolment problems in the next five to 10 years, while government schools and aided schools in rural areas are already facing enrolment problems,” Nadkarni said.
According to Nadkarni, “NEP is an overall policy framework. Based on NEP visions, the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) is prepared by the NCERT and based on that, the SCERT must prepare its own curriculum framework since local components are needed. NEP is good but implementation is important. In Goa we face problems because many things are not in place. There are no regular faculties in SCERT and they are borrowed from various colleges. Even today the government has not recruited faculty in SCERT. The government should prepare a roadmap, provide adequate funds and manpower and implement NEP systematically.”
Savio Suraj Victoria, a parent of student from Miracles High School, Sanguem and headmaster of an aided school said, “During parent orientation programme organised by SCERT last week, it was disheartening to see schools selecting unrepresentative parents. Many schools seem unprepared to implement NEP, and it was reflected in their lack of communication with parents.”
“Personally, I have been trying to get clarity on my child’s school activities, but my emails and messages have gone unanswered for two years. It feels like the school administration isn’t prioritising student welfare. I had to ask information through RTI Act and got the information only after I filed appeal with the State Information Commission after more than 300 days instead of 30 days. The school did not even comply with the order issued by the First Appellate Authority i.e. the Deputy Director of Education,” Savio said.
“The changes brought by NEP seem to be focused on changing the academic year and increasing student burden, which contradicts the NCFSE’s suggestions. Poor time management by some schools is exacerbating the issue, with children being kept late for non-academic activities. The academic calendar change is also questionable, especially considering Goa’s climate. Delhi’s summer vacations make more sense, given its weather patterns. It’s frustrating to see decisions being made without considering the students’ best interests. NEP is supposed to be child-friendly, but so far, it feels like a nightmare. More burden, less learning – that’s the vibe. The increased instructional hours are flawed, and the schedule is a mess. Losing 18 full days in March and getting 20 half days in April doesn’t add up,” he added.
Bhatikar Model High School, Margao, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) chairman Rupesh Shinkre said, “I am in favour of NEP, but my objection is that the State is not implementing NEP in the way it is intended to be implemented. I attended the orientation programme session at Margao and at the start of the session, the SCERT official said that everyone present should download and read NCF-FE, NCF-SE and NCrF, as these documents are very important for the implementation of NEP in the State. But the SCERT officials could not provide satisfactory answers to our queries during the session.”
Shinkre said, “It was important to note that all the queries I raised were based on the policy documents themselves namely NCF and NCrF which are the primary documents that the State must refer to while implementing NEP 2020. The SCERT has now invited us for a discussion to address all our queries and we will seek an appointment at the earliest to address the issues.”
